GSX-R1000R TAKES DEBUT PODIUM AT SUZUKA 200KM

The new 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R in the hands of Yoshimura MOTUL Suzuki rider Takuya Tsuda claimed a strong second place on the podium in its debut entry in the annual Suzuka 200km race in Japan on Sunday.

Race fans, riders and teams view the JSB round 2 Suzuka 200km race as a strong test and indicator of how the leading teams are progressing in advance of the famous Suzuka 8 hour race in July; the final round of the FIM 2017 Endurance World Championship.

All the leading manufacturer teams were entered in Sunday's race, with Suzuki well represented by a number of leading teams, including Yoshimura MOTUL Suzuki, Team Kagayama, S-Pulse Dream Racing and Hamamatsu Team Suzuki Titan.

The 200km race was run over 35 laps of the classic Suzuka circuit and included one compulsory pit-stop.

Yoshimura MOTUL Suzuki rider Tsuda, aboard the newly launched GSX-R1000R, was part of an early breakaway group which included Takumi Takahashi (MuSASHIHarc Pro Racing), Kouta Nozane (Yamaha Factory Racing) and Kazuma Watanabe (Kawasaki Team Green). Tsuda increased his pace at the mid-point of the race and, thanks to a rapid pit-stop by the Yoshimura MOTUL team, settled into a comfortable 2nd place which he held to the flag, finishing behind Takumi Takahashi.

Tsuda’s rookie team-mate, Sodo Hamahara, (Yoshimura MOTUL Suzuki), racing in his first full season in the All Japan Road Race Championship, claimed an excellent 6th place, proving that the new GSX-R1000R is already a major force in the highly competitive and demanding Endurance racing scene.